Restaurant Name: Published on Main
Address: 3593 Main St, Vancouver, BC
Phone: 604-423-4840
Website: https://publishedonmain.com/
Published on Main was recently named one of the top 100 restaurants in Canada. Located in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, it immediately bought on a sense of familiar coziness well known for this artisan and sustainability focus district. Besides the spacious interior dining room, Published on Main also added an outdoor patio section along the side street just off Main St. At this time we made reservations and were asked to place our initial orders over the phone. With a number of small changes and additions of dish choice upon arrival, we were off to a guided culinary adventure.
Appetizer / Starting Dishes
Most of the dishes at Published on Main are shared tapas style dishes. Chef Gus Stiefenhofer-Brandson and his team succeeded in creating beautiful layers of taste and texture for each of the dishes we ordered. Often we had a hint of international or oriental aroma here and there, while other dishes bought together ingredients in an experimental way.
We started with Duck Confit Meatmalls – pork meatballs studded with duck leg confit, served with a spicy Singapore black pepper sauce. While I thought I tasted a hint of plum sauce, which is very popular to go with BBQ duck in Cantonese dishes, the entire dish came together on the heavy side but surprisingly not overwhelming.
Tuna is my favorite. This dish is cured albacore tuna served with a black garlic puree, shiso gel and green strawberry. The staff poured a smoked shio sauce on the side, avoided soaking the ingredients. This is a delightful refreshing dish perfect for the summer season.
Next came the Kohlrabi veloute with lovage, summer savory and spicy croutons. I love the creamy texture of this dish, and it was a great transition leading into the heavier dishes.
Mains to Share
While all dishes at Published on Main are shareable tapas dishes, we felt some dishes have an origin from a traditional main dish, such as the Kelp Lasagna – kelp and clam lasagna with lemon spirulina and sea asparagus. Of all the dishes, this is an absolute must try. Just looking at the presentation we already knew how much work and preparation had to go into creating this creative lasagna twist. Not to mention the after-poured creamy jus really bought unity to all the complex ingredients used in the layers.
If you love mushrooms, this foraged chanterelles, lightly roasted, purée of smoked celeriac & confit egg yolk is a must try. I love egg yolks. The egg yolk used here really surprised me. I suggest giving the yolk a try without breaking it first. Then if you like to mix it in with the chanterelles, go ahead.
We finished off with an adventurous dish – grilled lamb heart with burnt eggplant and persian cucumber. The meat was very tender and silky while has a good texture to it. I never had lamb heart before. Thanks to Chef Gus’ and his methods, I really enjoyed lamb heart. I can only imagine coming back to his restaurant to have this dish. Anything lamb, if not prepared properly, have a very distinct taste and texture that is not for everyone. I wonder if there will be other special lamb dishes available by Chef Gus and I will surely give anything lamb by Chef Gus a try with pleasure.
After Meal
You would expect the same kind of creativity going into desserts and after meal sweets. We were pleasantly surprised with a Beets Sorbet with freeze crumble milk, and just before our bill we were presented with hand crafted roasted sesame soft caramel. They were really refreshing after a meal full of varieties of taste and texture, a perfect ending to a summer night out meal.
Review
Staffs were really welcoming here and helpful to explain about the dishes. Both the interior and outdoor patios were spacious. During the current Covid health and safety, each table has a hand sanitizer spray for our convenience. When presenting the dishes, staffs all had masks on. The surrounding area also have plenty of street parking as during evening hour most of the shops in the area were closed. I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone interested in exploring creative dishes and enjoying a beautiful and cozy evening out in a lovely facility. Wine and drink list also available with curated selections of both BC and international choices.
